Sir Alex Ferguson has paid tribute to Jose Mourinho, the departed Chelsea manager, and said Avram Grant has a "big test" on his hands trying to replace him.

But Mourinho himself claims to be relieved at his abrupt Stamford Bridge exit, tellling Portuguese televison on Friday: "From a professional and personal point of view, I'm feeling great. I'm glad to have left."

He added: "I'm proud of what I did at Chelsea, not only in terms of results but the mark I left on the country, the city, the fans, my opponents, English soccer. My mark is here."

Howver, the Manchester United manager has always held Mourinho in high regard even though the Scot generally came out second best in matches between their teams and could see aspects of his character in the extrovert Portuguese coach.

Even towards the end of last season, when their rivalry reached its most heated stage, both men refrained from personal criticism. In fact, Ferguson's major complaint of his former counterpart was the quality of wine he served when United first played Mourinho's side at Stamford Bridge three years ago.

No surprise, then, that the United manager will miss the Special One. "Jose leaving Chelsea is a disappointment for the game," said Ferguson, who had bought a bottle of wine especially for Chelsea's visit to Old Trafford on Sunday.

"He was terrific for football and terrific for Chelsea. He brought something fresh and new to our game and I enjoyed the competition with him. I wish him well but I just don't know what I am going to do with my wine now."

Mourinho has been one of the most successful managers in Chelsea's history, winning five trophies in his three seasons.

Most impressively, he ended a 50-year wait for a league title before a departure that was reportedly by mutual consent but has bemused players and fans. As Ferguson said, Mourinho's replacement faces a difficult challenge to equal his achievements.

"He enjoyed unparalleled success there, without question," said Ferguson. "It is a big test for whoever replaces him - and at the moment that is Avram Grant.

"I will miss the personal challenge but what it does to them doesn't matter to me. We have to be focussed on ourselves and Sunday's game.

"We are still playing Chelsea. It is still the same players and that in itself is a challenge for us. If you look at the record between us over the last three or four years, there is nothing in it."

Roy Keane, meanwhile, has credited Mourinho with lifting the British game to a new level. The Sunderland manager said: "I have never come across him, but I just look at what he brought to the Premier League, and he raised the bar for everybody, even for the likes of United, the Arsenals. They had to liven up their act a bit, and they came back stronger again, United and Arsenal, in the last year or two.

"He turned a very good Chelsea team into a top team. That's the biggest step and the hardest step. There are lots of good teams out there - I could name you ten and say, 'they are a good team' - but they are not a top team, and that is the gap he bridged. He will be a loss to the Premier League, there is no getting away from that."

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